Surgery helped me tremendously, but some of the nerve damage looks to be permanent. My brain doesn't get the same pain signals from my back and legs anymore. That's good. But the connection between my brain and legs/feet isn't right yet, and it's been almost 3 years since the surgery. My feet seem to be about half a second behind my brain. I especially notice it when I simultaneously turn and take a step from a standing position. My upper body turns and does its automatic balancing thing, while my feet haven't gotten the message and haven't started moving yet. So I stumble.
Also the aftermath of surgery can be brutal. I wrote about it here once I was able. Go down to post 47 to read the story.
https://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/1151582-greetings-kettering-hospitals-coffee-bar-day-spa-3.html